Mythology
In this context, mythology means stories about gods
- references to mythology;
- imagery that comes from the mythology;
- stories that have a parallel with certain myths.
References to Mythology
Two examples of biblical references to mythology are:
- quarrels between the gods: this is a motif that occurs frequently in the mythology of the ancient Near East, for instance in the Mesopotamian account, Enuma Elish. In the Old Testament
we find it again, for instance, in Isaiah 14:12-25 , where the arrogant king of Babylonia is compared with the heavenly being Helal (“bright morning star” in the Good News Translation), which is ultimately cast into the underworld. This motif also plays a part in the story of the sons of gods in Genesis 6:1-4 . - the myth of the heroes: traces of ancient Hebrew myths of heroes are found, for instance, in the stories about Enoch (Genesis 5:24
) and Nimrod, the great hunter (Genesis 10:8-9 ).
Imagery Derived from Mythology
In poetic language, imagery is regularly used and its origins lie in mythology. Examples are:
- thunder as the voice of God (Psalm 29
; Psalm 104:3 ; Hosea 4:19 ). This image also appears in Mesopotamian and Ugaritic literature. - demonic figures from ancient mythology, such as the night monster Lilith
(Isaiah 34:14 ).
Biblical Stories with Parallels to Mythology
Some of the stories in the Bible have a parallel with myths from the ancient Near East. Examples of such parallels are:
- the story of the dragon
, a mythological monster that is defeated by God at the time of creation (see for instance Job 3:8 ). This story has a parallel, for example, with Canaanite mythology, in which the god Baal defeats the sea-god Yam. - the flood story in Genesis 6–9
, which is comparable with the legend of Atrahasis in Mesopotamian mythology .
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